


Taking A Chance

by GaeilgeRua



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Girls' Night Out, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-Hogwarts, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 07:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12228123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaeilgeRua/pseuds/GaeilgeRua
Summary: A girls' night out after her recent breakup leads to a new chance at love.





	Taking A Chance

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [SingMeARareOSComp](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SingMeARareOSComp) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Let Me Love You, by Ariana Grande, feat. Lil Wayne
> 
> 'I just broke up with my ex; now I’m out here single, I don’t really know what’s next'
> 
> This piece is part of the Sing Me A Rare OS Competition Autumn 2017. I had a choice of song and one character which are Let Me Love You by Ariana Grande ft Lil Wayne and Hermione Granger. The Admins of the group then randomly chose the other character. All characters, spells, magical equipment and locations from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling.  
> I'd like to thank J of Beta and also J of Alpha.

Hermione moved to the heavy beat of the music the DJ was spinning on stage. She was originally wary of going out to the new club, what with a name like The Fainting Banshee, but now that she was here she was glad Ginny had talked her into joining her and the other girls of their group. There were many former classmates in their party, but her core group, besides herself and Ginny, consisted of Daphne Longbottom neé Greengrass, Luna Scamander neé Lovegood, and Pansy Potter neé Parkinson. All of them were at the club except Pansy who was at home on bed rest since she was due any day now with her and Harry's first child.

"I think the word has got out that you and Percy have called it quits," Daphne said as she leaned towards Hermione.

The former Gryffindor stopped dancing and turned to face her friend. A slight frown tugging on the corner of her lips. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, pretty much every wizard in here has been eyeing you ever since you walked in here," Daphne replied.

"It doesn't hurt that she looks sexy as hell in that little black dress Pansy found for her," Ginny added after overhearing their friends.

Hermione laughed and spun in place, letting the flirty hemline of the simple one-shouldered, black frock flutter just above her knees. She stopped and smiled at her friends. "Thank you for coming out with me. It's weird no longer being with Percy, it was coming for a while, and I'm just ready to get back out there." She looked around them and saw that Daphne had been right, there were many pairs of male eyes locked in their direction. Hermione looked back at the others. "I just wish wizards wanted to be with Hermione Granger the witch rather than Hermione Granger the war heroine."

Luna grasped her hand, leading the group off the dance floor. "The right wizard is out there for you, Hermione. He might be in this very room, or he could be halfway across the world. You could find him right away or it may take a few more heartbreaks to find him, but he's out there." Luna looked around the club, but as her eyes passed by Daphne, they stopped. She smiled at something over her shoulder. "Somewhere."

Hermione squeezed Luna's hand. "Thank you, Luna. You always know just what to say and when to say it."

"That's what friends are for, Hermione."

"That and for getting into trouble with you," Ginny said as she wrapped her arms around Hermione and Luna's shoulders. "Luna, why don't you go find a table with Daphne, and Hermione and I will get the next round of drinks. We have an incoming Potter to celebrate!"

The four of them cheered before Daphne and Luna went in search of a place to sit while Ginny and Hermione headed up to the bar.

After a few minutes, Ginny placed their order. As they were waiting, Hermione realised that she had a great view of most of the club and she took advantage of the opportunity presented to her.

She wasn't kidding earlier when she said she wanted a wizard to want her for her. She had a feeling that picking up a wizard in a club probably wasn't the wisest thing to do, but she could at least look around.

It was a few moments later when she spotted him standing on the other side of the club, he was with a small group of wizards. She had seen him a couple times earlier that night watching their small group when the four of them were on the floor dancing and assumed he was eyeing one of her friends. Now that they were separated and had stopped moving, she could see that his eyes were on her. She blushed as she came to that realization.

She wasn't normally a one night stand kind of girl, but when your prospects for the evening included the hunk across the room who had been apparently eyeing you all night, then you start to think about making concessions. Hermione knew she'd never do anything, but that didn't mean she couldn't think about it.

"Go talk to him," Ginny yelled over the music as they stood at the bar waiting for a new round of drinks.

Hermione spun to face her friend, eyes wide. "Just because I thought about it, doesn't mean I'm going to go over there."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "And why not? He's a cutie and with a body like that, I'm pretty sure he could hold you up against the wall and," she winked at Hermione, "fuck you senseless."

"Do you have to be so crude, Ginevra Zabini?"

The redheaded witch shrugged as a smirk spread across her face. "It's part of my charm."

"And what would your husband say?"

"He'd agree with me. Percy was a complete wanker when he dumped you and decided to go back to Audrey. As far as I'm concerned, they deserve each other."

"And your mum?"

"Well, she still wants you to be an official Weasley, but since you and Ron are just friends, Fred is gone, Percy is a twat, and the other three are married, it's not likely to happen." Ginny stepped forward and grasped her friend's hands. "In all honesty, mum and dad have seen you as one of their own for years. They just want you to be happy and if that's from someone outside the family then so be it. Now, go over there and ask that sexy beast to dance."

Hermione hugged her best female friend before she turned to look for the wizard. He was gone. She frowned. "It looks like I missed my chance. He's gone."

Ginny looked where he had been standing, but when she turned back to look at Hermione, she grinned. "I don't think you did, Mia."

Hermione turned to Ginny. "What do you mean?"

Gesturing behind her, she replied, "I mean that he's right behind you."

Hermione whirled around, coming face-to-chest with the wizard in question. She tilted her head back and her jaw dropped at the sight of the wizard towering over her. "Oh! Hello."

A smile spread slowly across his face. "Hullo, Granger."

Hermione tilted her head to the side trying to place him. He looked familiar, but she couldn't put a name to the face. After a few moments, she spoke up, "I'm sorry, you have me at a disadvantage since I don't know your name."

His smile intensified as he reached up to tug on a curl that had fallen from her braid. "I wouldn't expect you to recognize me since I've changed so much and I've only just returned from the continent." He nodded his head in greeting. "Greg Goyle at your service."

Hermione's eyes widened as she looked him over. It had been well over fifteen years since she had last seen Gregory Goyle on the battlefield at Hogwarts, and those years had been very good to him. He had lost all of the baby fat he'd had through their Hogwarts years and he looked as if he worked out on a daily basis. She tilted her head back to look up at him again. "Wow. You're really tall. And cute."

A blush spread across her cheeks as the words just tumbled out of her mouth.

Greg chuckled at her words.

"Oh dear Merlin," Hermione groaned. "I can't believe I just said that."

Greg brushed his fingers over her bare right shoulder and down her arm. "If it makes you feel better, I think you're cute, too." He winked at her. "Dance with me?"

Hermione looked from him to look for Ginny who had been behind her, but the redhead was long gone. She turned back around and smiled at the wizard standing before her. "Yes," she whispered as she grasped his hand.

The two of them moved towards the dance floor and disappeared among the other dancers.

* * *

Ginny sat down at the table Daphne and Luna had commandeered earlier, while waiting for her and Hermione to grab their drinks after the witches decided to sit and rest for a while.

Daphne looked around before turning to the redhead. "Where's Hermione?"

Ginny smirked. "She's dancing."

"Oh, she is?" Daphne asked as she raised a dark blonde eyebrow.

"Mm hmm," Ginny hummed as she nodded her head.

"Alone?"

"Nope," Ginny replied, popping the p before she grinned impishly at the witches sitting across from her.

Daphne's other eyebrow joined the first in surprise. "You left her alone with a wizard? Do you know who he was?"

Ginny tisked. "Of course, I do! After her comment about wizards wanting her for her rather than her title, I wasn't about to let just any Godric Gryffindor be alone with her."

Luna smiled as she looked out over the people dancing. "Oh, I saw Greg earlier when we were talking on the dance floor. I'm glad they found each other."

Daphne glanced to where Luna's eyes were looking and smiled. "I've never thought about it, but they could be perfect for each other. Greg may have been quiet in school and hid behind Malfoy, but he's no dummy, so he won't struggle to keep up with Hermione."

Ginny quietly watched the two on the dance floor for a few moments before turning back to Daphne and Luna. "Where has he been? Or rather _what_ has he been doing?"

"Once he was cleared of charges from the war and took his NEWTs, he left for the continent. His mum's family is from Germany, so he moved to Berlin and started working in the games and sports department for the German Ministry of Magic. I know he struggled for quite a while trying to deal with everything that he went through and ended up leaving the ministry there. It was about a year later that he ended up at the dragon reserve in Romania."

Ginny's brow wrinkled as she thought about what Daphne had just said.

Daphne noticed. "What are you thinking about?"

"Well, with what happened in the Room or Requirement during the battle and losing one of his best friends, I wouldn't think that he would want to be anywhere near fire."

"I thought that too and brought it up to him, but he said he needed a way to work through everything and knew he had to overcome his fear of fire." Daphne smiled. "In fact, he told me that your brother was a huge help for him, especially in the very beginning."

Ginny's eyes lit up. "I remember Charlie saying something about a new keeper when he was at Hogwarts for my graduation, but he never said who it was or that they were from England."

Daphne nodded. "That was Greg. He worked for the reserve in Romania up until a few days ago when he moved back here to help start the new Welsh Green reserve. I think he said he was going to be second in command here."

"Makes sense," Ginny replied, "since Charlie is heading up the reserve and if the two of them hit it off and he's done well there, then my brother will want the best working for him."

"Greg is very dedicated to his work, almost as much as he is to his friends and family," Daphne paused for a moment to take a drink of her beer before she continued, "well, his mum, he couldn't care less about his father after what he put both him and his mum through during both wars."

Luna spoke up after silently listening to the other two witches, "He's also been through heartbreak recently, hasn't he?"

Daphne nodded sadly. "His wife died about a year and a half ago from Dragon Pox of all things."

"They will be good for each other then," Luna declared. She glanced at Daphne and Ginny before returning her gaze to the dance floor. "They can help each other continue to heal."

"Healing would be good for her," Ginny agreed. She shrugged. "And if they end up staying together great, but if not, I have a feeling they would both be better off after their time together."

Daphne laughed. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, ladies. They're not doing anything other than dancing, so it may not even go anywhere."

"Well, they're doing more than dancing now," Luna said as she nodded towards the dance floor. "They're leaving."

Daphne and Ginny both turned to look only to see Greg leading Hermione through the crowd of dancers, his hand on her back to guide her.

"Go, Hermione!" Ginny yelled with a smile. "Good for you!"

"Good for him," Daphne agreed.

"Good for both of them," Luna added as she took a sip from her mead.

* * *

Hermione took a deep breath as she left the crowded, humid club and stepped out into the cool night air. They walked the few steps away to turn down the side alley where they could Apparate away unseen.

She didn't know what made her say yes to Greg when he said he suggested going somewhere more quiet to talk, but it was almost like her heart answered before her brain could over think their situation.

"Are you ready?" Greg asked as he stepped near.

"This is crazy, but yes."

Greg shook his head. "Not crazy at all."

Hermione closed her eyes. "I'm broken," she whispered as he pulled her close, preparing to Apparate away.

He smiled down at her and brushed his thumb over her cheek. "I am too."

She nibbled her bottom lip before slowly releasing the plump area. "I'm not an easy kind of witch."

"It never crossed my mind," he said before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know this probably sounds nutters to you, but I just want to love you. Will you let me?"

"Just talking tonight?"

Greg nodded. "Just talking." He winked at her. "And maybe a kiss goodnight."

Hermione stared into his hazel eyes. All she saw was the truth. He just wanted a chance and she knew right away that she couldn't deny him. It was crazy what was happening between them after only a couple of hours, but it felt so right. "Yes." Hermione slid her hands up his well muscled arms. "And just so you know, you don't sound nutters to me at all."

Greg's eyes lit up and he tightened his arm around her waist at her words. "Good."

The couple was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving the alleyway next to The Fainting Banshee in darkness and silence as the motion lamp sputtered out as they disappeared.


End file.
